Text messages sent from one computer to another computer, and which pass through one or more computer networks or the Internet are commonly known as “e-mail” messages. As a form of communication, e-mail has both advantages and disadvantages. Its main attractions include its low cost and its relatively high transmission speed. An e-mail message can be sent to someone in another hemisphere as quickly and for the same cost as an e-mail message sent to someone across the street. A problem with e-mail, however, is the ease by which an e-mail message can be re-published or redistributed by the recipient. When e-mail messages are used to transmit copyrighted attachments, the re-transmission of such material can give rise to unauthorized distribution and copying.
It's well known that most e-mail programs are able to create and read e-mail messages such that when a message reaches its intended recipient or when it's read by its intended recipient, a return receipt message is sent from the message addressee to the message originator, notifying the originator that the message reached and/or was read by the addressee. While such return receipts provide an indication that the original message reached its intended addressee, they do not inform an e-mail message originator when an e-mail message has been forwarded by an original addressee to someone else. A method and/or apparatus for text messaging whereby a message originator would receive a notification when his or her message is forwarded by an addressee would be an improvement over the prior art in that such a capability would enable an e-mail message originator to know the extent to which a blind notification of forward message should be sent whenever the message is forwarded or retransmitted to someone other than the original addressee.